1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an acidic oil-in-water type emulsion composition such as mayonnaise or dressing, which is excellent in emulsion stability even under low-temperature conditions such as in side refrigerators, good in appearance and flavor and useful as diet or food for improving lipid matabolism.
2. Description of the Background Art
In recent years, it has been clarified that diacylglycerol (hereafter referred to as xe2x80x9cDAGxe2x80x9d) has an obesity-preventing effect, an effect to prevent increase in weight, etc. (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 300828/1992, etc.), and it is attempted to incorporate this into various kinds of foods (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 8431/1991, 79858/1992 and 176181/1998, etc.). Furthermore, oil-in water type emulsions containing DAG and lecithin in an oil phase and protein in a water phase have been proposed (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 91451/1991).
In the case of, particularly, an acidic oil-in-water type emulsion composition such as mayonnaise or dressing, however, the low-temperature resistance has been insufficient in that a part of DAG in raw oil crystallizes under in-refrigerator conditions (xe2x88x925 to 5xc2x0 C.) that cause demulsification (oil-off), and for mayonnaise, cracks were observed.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an acidic oil-in-water type emulsion composition which has excellent shelf stability at low temperatures though containing DAG at a high concentration, also good in appearance and flavor and useful as a diet or food for improving lipid metabolism.
The present inventors have found that an acidic oil-in-water type emulsion composition satisfying the above requirements can be provided by containing a specified amount of crystallization inhibitors in an oil phase containing DAG.
Thus, according to the present invention, we inventors have provided an acidic oil-in-water type emulsion composition comprising an oil phase containing at least 20% by weight of diacylglycerol and 0.5 to 5.0% by weight of a crystallization inhibitor.